An Unstable Matter

by SW

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Luna, Spike, Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance
Length: 6734

Spike finds himself the target of affection for several of Ponyville's residents

After leaving on a second pilgrimage to find himself, Spike returns to Ponyville, physically larger and sporting an impressive array of skills and powers.

His plans for a calm life in Ponyville, however, takes a different path as he soon finds himself the desire of several ponies interests, friends old and new included.

Change breeds benefits, as the saying goes. Spike has yet to hear it ring true.

Published 2012-11-19 18:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-27 05:03:46 UTC

Home Is Where The Heart Is

While many may consider the model structure for the ponies in the series as not much different from the cover-image, the models I had in mind as I wrote the story can be found here...

That being said, I am looking for a new cover image. If you happen to come upon an interesting image, refer it to me if you'd be so kind

Early in the morning, high above the heads of Ponyville's still-resting citizens, a lone streak of varying colors marked the sky.

Rainbow Dash made her way to the eastern-most meadow a short ways outside of Ponyville, ready to fulfill her section of the Weather Control Agency's responsibility in moving clouds for the benefit of Ponyville and the agricultural community. Normally she'd be against waking up so early, she still did not relish in cutting her sleep short, but having officially been marked off as the agency's head supervisor in just her second year had been reason enough for her to start every morning with an added boost of vigor. It meant she'd impressed the big shots in the agency and had gained an even more noticeable reputation as the fastest pegasus there was. She felt certain she could already have been named manager of her department if they didn't have to follow an unbiased set of rules. Guess saving Equestria on a monthly basis wasn't enough to warrant her quick rise in the ranks, but she was fine with it. All the more time to rack up commendations to join the Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash inhaled the clean early morning air deeply as she scanned for what would be her first batch of clouds for that morning. Detecting them, she changed her trajectory accordingly and slowed herself to a halt above the vapors before landing with a slight bounce. Habitually speaking, she never could resist testing the cloud's surface tension and playing the possibility of finding a new favorite cloud to come back to later in the day for a pleasant nap. She pressed her feet down on the soft surface briefly, examining the cloud for any response it might have, searching for a force to push back at her, telling her if it was soft enough to snooze on. Sadly, it refused to cooperate, being another dud in her book.

Her experiment concluded, she floated to the clouds' and pushed it lazily with her shoulder as she marked it off from a list she'd been given days before. While it was a responsibility that was important in shaping the future of Ponyville and its economy, not to mention the seasons, she found the idea of paperwork on clouds being silly. Nevertheless, she stopped short of the clouds' new home collective and embarked onto the next one. Rainbow Dash figured she was in for another monotonous day in the clouds, but the familiar sound of carriages moving across Equestrian paved roads easily snatched her attention from the morning's labor.

She searched the landscape for the origin of the welcome intrusion and found the source not far up the road from Ponyville, but still an hour or so away at their speed. While her responsibilities as head supervisor came into mind, she felt an overwhelming desire to head on down and maybe speak with the caravaners, maybe learn some valuable intel on who knows what? So what if it took away time she had committed to her job? If she found herself short on time she'd welcome the challenge.

Rainbow Dash stowed the clipboard onto one of her back pockets and descended towards the head of the caravan. Upon closer observation they looked like your standard group of travelers, a close group of friends if not a family, traveling as a whole to wherever the road leads them. It sounded like a pleasant life to Rainbow Dash, but not something she'd commit herself to. Her roots were too far grown in Ponyville to do that.

There were roughly three carriages and a variety of ponies, all roughly the same size save for anypony who hadn't stuck their heads out to see her and the young fillies who'd pointed at her in awe. They must not have seen many pegasii, Rainbow Dash thought. The only other details that she could make out was the style of cloaks the group wore, black for the males and brown for the females as it'd seemed, and a few empty bags neatly piled against the edges of their carriages, for restocking no doubt.

Having the basics down for the group, Rainbow Dash confidently descended to ground level, just low enough for her feet to graze the tips of the grass by the road, and greeted the male at the head.

"Hey! Where you guys coming from?"

She'd startled the colt by her sudden materialization. Their group must really not have seen many pegasii. Whether it was a distrust of her subspecies or annoyance over her appearance, he'd set his eyes back on the road and didn't even give her the courtesy of a sideways glance. Rainbow Dash crossed her arms with irritation and had planned on gliding to repeat her question, but the sudden presence of a filly with her head outside the carriage surprised her.

"Hi! We're passing through the nearest town for a quick restock and'll leave just as quick." The accent behind her voice reminded Rainbow Dash of Applejack. It took her a second to realize the filly had been looking at her oddly, and before she could ask if there was something wrong, the little one had spoken out. "Are you really a pegasus?"

The concept of the filly never having seen a pegasus before nearly escaped Rainbow Dash. She grinned, pride swelling deep within her. "Sure am! The name's Rainbow Dash! Fastest pony in all of Equestria." She boastfully broadened her wings and performed a twirl without so much as moving a yard from where she stationarily flew beside the carriage, ending her display with a gust of air striking the filly whose eyes shown nothing but bewilderment and admiration. Grinning smugly, she concluded, "Flyer extraordinaire and proud holder of three flight records, at your service."

"W-Wow! A real pegasus! A famous pegasus!" She'd taken the bait and was awash with amazement for Rainbow Dash. "I have to tell everypony! I got to meet a pegasus, a famous pegasus up close!"

"Calm down, kid. I'm not all that awesome."

"But you are! You got wings, you got records. You're very awesome!"

"Well, if you insist." Rainbow Dash giggled to herself, basking in the appreciation. Now if only all of Equestria treated her like this.

"Bet you can even beat a dragon!"

The declaration perked Rainbow Dash's ears. A dragon huh? "A dragon huh?" She'd voiced her thought. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but yeah, probably. I mean, I've done it before, a 'couple' of times before, but..." She trailed off purposely and cracked an eye open to watch the even more awestruck filly shake with amazement.

"Cool! Wait here, I'll get him right now!"

"Yeah, I am coo-... wait, what?"

The filly had already turned around back into the carriage before Rainbow Dash could inquire further. She couldn't really have gone back to fetch a dragon, right? The chances of finding a docile dragon anywhere outside of a collective of its own race were rare enough, but for one to travel with ponies? She swore she'd heard, and lived, that tale before. It wasn't less than a minute before the filly had returned, but she looked forlorn and avoided eye contact with her.

"Uhm... sorry. My mom says I shouldn't have said that... and that I shouldn't talk to strangers."

"I-It's alright, kid. You should listen to your mom."

"Have a nice day." The filly concluded, crestfallen.

Rainbow Dash offered a smile of sincerity but couldn't help but think on the dragon the filly had so readily prepared to show her. Even though she had her doubts that there was actually one with this group, she found the young pony's remark on a dragon hard to ignore. Driven by a curiosity that wouldn't stop nagging at her, Rainbow Dash drifted alongside the carriage before her, angling herself to catch a glimpse inside the carriage. She found something, somepony, sitting inside at the farthest corner from her sight. Bumps ridged the topmost half of where his forehead would be and grew as it headed up and possibly down his back. She almost groaned in frustration at being unable to see anymore from where she flew.

Rainbow Dash tried to get closer to the carriage but had no sooner flown a foot closer to it than she'd stuck a branch with her wings and came to a startled halt and tumble onto the grass and dirt by the side of the road. It took a second for her to realize what had happened and scrambled to get back to her hands and knees for a quick dash back to peek at the off passenger, but before she could so much as expand her wings, her heart skipped a beat as the alarm on her watch blared off. She shot her wrist up in front of her and gasped at the time.

"I'm late!"

The pony patted herself down as best she could before extending her wings widely and forcing them down as hard as she could, propelling herself high in the sky in the same second. She splayed her wings to keep herself hovering in place and watched anxiously as her chance to see a dragon, a docile one, slowly made its way out of her reach. She played the chance to dart by and catch a glance at the creature, but it would conflict with her schedule. On one hand she had a responsibility to uphold, and on the other she could possibly catch sight of a rare, possibly awesome-looking dragon.

After a lengthy, lip-bitingly difficult window of thought, Rainbow Dash groaned miserably and sprinted to each independent cloud she'd been assigned minutes earlier, positioning them in their new locations perfectly before darting at near sound-barrier speeds to the fields far on the other side of Ponyville, leaving a vibrant rainbow-like streak in the sky in her wake.

The fillies in the carriages all cooed in awe at the display and none grew a smirk on their face wider than one hooded figure, observing the rainbow until the end.

"At it again." He said with a chuckle.

//

"Two bits."

"Five bits."

"Two bits!"

"Five Bits!"

Pinkie Pie had played this game before, knew all the tricks in the book, all the cunning she'd require. Determined, she lashed out, "Five bits!"

Applejack had expected it and, being an occasional trader herself, knew exactly how to counter using Pinkie's own momentum. "Seven bits!"

Without so much as considering what had been said, Pinkie Pie latched onto the words her competitor had declared. "Seven bits!"

"Five bits!"

"Seven bits and that's my final offer!"

Applejack grinned smugly and conceded to Pinkie's demands. "Seven bits it is!"

The pink pony smiled from ear to ear and jumped with glee before dropping the promised seven bits onto the table and claiming her prize. Applejack had taken the stack of coins in her hand and began counting as Pinkie Pie took her first, glorious bite out of one of her hard-earned apples. It wasn't but a few seconds after that first, succulent bite that her chewing slowly lost its vigor and Pinkie Pie's brows furrowed as she replayed the scenario in her mind. Not even considering the unswallowed apple bits already in her mouth, she turned to Applejack.

"...hey!"

"No refunds." Applejack countered, leaning against a beam that made up her stall and already pocketing the bits. Pinkie Pie's eyes begin glimmering with moisture and sorrow, enough of a display to make anypony feel sorry for her. However, Applejack glared at her sternly.

"You know better than that."

"Oh well!" Pinkie happily conceded and finished her apple in one large bite. Applejack didn't bother questioning the logic behind the apple consumption and, instead, took an apple she'd set to the side and bit into it contently.

Applejack, like all of Ponyville, had gotten used to the fact that Pinkie Pie naturally defied any sense of logic. Perhaps even the theories of time and space themselves with her wild antics and knack of popping out of the most unlikeliest of places. So instead of asking how it had happened, one would ignore it instead, and in Applejack's case, she would eat an apple. And Apple Family apples were the most delectable of apples to be consumed.

Speaking of the family, Applejack had manned one of many stalls outside of the Apple Family residence. The family sold apples in various forms to one and all who'd make the journey, and many would. At the moment, save Pinkie Pie, their customers were a group of nomads clad in cloaks, seeking to restock their wares with Apple Family products. A wise choice for two reasons: they were delicious, and, given the added harvest they'd received from the year's good weather, they were cheap. She'd have to thank the agency, and Rainbow Dash by extension, sometime.

She'd taken a third, larger bite of her apple when a customer approached her stall. She perked an eye open on him as soon as he'd blocked the sun from her face and was surprised to find such a tall creature standing before her. She would have made him out for her brother if he hadn't been so thin at the sides. Instead, the only indication of his species were bumps from his forehead leading back and down his spinal column, as well as two large bumps on his back. He had wings, that was for sure. But for now the nomads were here for business. Applejack wasn't there to judge or make out characteristics.

"What can I do ya for?" She leaned against her stand inquisitively.

He looked over her shoulder, inspecting the products Applejack fancied. There wasn't anything behind her in particular besides Pinkie Pie. Applejack would have understood if his attention was taken from their possible transaction in the case of Pinkie.

"Don't suppose you have anything... non-appley?"

"Beg your pardon?"

He was chuckling now. Applejack felt as though she'd ended up on the butt end of a joke she had yet to catch up on. It that were the case, this customer had best realize he was making a mistake from the get-go. Instead of delivering another joke as she'd expected however, he'd placed twenty-five bits on the table for her, courteous enough to ignore the standard practice of haggling.

"I'll have five, please."

"Five?" It was unanticipated. She had expected one, maybe even two, but five? Figuring it best not to ask, Applejack turned around and began taking small bushel after bushel of apples for the nomad to take. "That's an awful lot of apples, mister. Most your people only bought three, and that's separate."

"I'm having a celebration later, for some friends I'm visiting." His voice bled an air of familiarity Applejack couldn't help but notice. It was an unsettling feeling, causing her brows to crease. She hoped Pinkie Pie was feeling it, too, but the pink pony appeared to be too busy savoring each apple as she downed them one by one. Ah, Pinkie Pie, always the overachiever.

"Must mean a lot to ya, iff'en you're buyin' this much for 'em. How many you havin over?"

"Six. Maybe some extra, you never know."

The air of familiarity had grown thick in the air now. Applejack was certain this fellow was someone she knew, but the fact that she didn't know was driving her mad. She restrained herself from the thought of pulling off his cloak for fear of negative business relations. There was also a slim chance she had not been associated with him at all.

At some point, Applejack had been analyzing the mysterious figure too deeply, as he seemed to have notice and had grown uncomfortable.

"Is there a problem?"

Applejack shot her head back, slowly being flooded with embarrassment. She looked to the side. "N-No. Here, lem'me get these for ya'." She didn't wait for his response before picking up the stacked apple heaps and followed him near-stumble to the appropriate carriage.

After a brief moment, the nomads concluded their business with the Apple Family and loaded back onto their carriages for a trip into town. Applejack stood at her stall, watching uneasily as the carriages slowly disappeared behind the rolling hills surrounding her family's lands. Pinkie Pie waved at them happily until the end.

With her friend walking back to her side, Applejack let out a sigh of pent-up frustration. "I can't get that one feller out of my head. Something about him... It's just too familiar. It's like I know, but I don't!" She kicked the dirt beneath her boots. "Didn't you feel it too, Pinkie? Somethin' just felt..." She gave a final sigh, one of relinquished wonder. "I don't know anymore."

"Its alright, Applejack. We all get that feeling sometimes." Pinkie consoled her friend with a smile. The pink pony's attitude slowly proved contagious. Applejack eventually smiled in return.

"Yeah..." She turned around, facing her stall once more. "Lets just forget about him. We'll get plenty 'o other customers soon enough."

"Forget who?"

"That tall one just then, with all the apples."

"You mean Spike?"

"Yeah." Applejack crossed her arms and turned her attention to the remainder of her wares. There were easily more than enough for-

"...What?"

//

It was no secret that the market district of Ponyville, essentially a plaza filled with stalls, carts and roadside stands, played a key role in shaping the economy of the township. It was here that business owners, artisans, farmers, and other suppliers would sell their products in prime, or dismantled conditions, selling to the highest bidder and making a profit. It was by far the busiest section within Ponyville once the town had come alive, but today had been an exception.

Treading the plaza behind one of Ponyville's more distinguished denizens, Fluttershy couldn't help but glance around at the groups of customers that pocked the plaza grounds. It was not every day the shy pony would tread the grounds of the market plaza given her reserved nature, but urged on by Rarity, she reluctantly agreed. Her acceptance of the offer did not stop her from treading close to her friend however, unable to cease fidgeting when stationary or stop toying with her fingers. What was it about her that was drawing so much attention?

"Fluttershy, dear, you really must relax." Rarity tried soothing her.

"I can't help it." She meekly replied, burying herself within her scarf. "There aren't a lot of ponies here, but they keep looking at me..."

"Have you considered they may be complimenting you?" Rarity mused, stopping at a stall selling fabrics. "They may recall you from when you posed for Photo Finish? Your most recent silks, please."

Fluttershy sank deeper into her scarf at the thought. She'd recalled the time she had spent with Photo Finish, trying on line after line of designs several artists had explicitly made for her to showcase. Attention had been the last thing Fluttershy had ever wanted, and the stunt had given it to her in droves. Being reminded of the event was by far the most unpleasant thing one could have done to her at this point, and if Rarity's assumption was true, any one of the ponies in the plaza could do just that. Her ears leveled at the sides of her head.

"Fluttershy, you're doing the opposite of relaxing." Rarity eyed her unsympathetically. The pony gave a weak whimper in response. With a sigh, Rarity resolved to escort Fluttershy back to the boutique once she had purchased all her needed materials. Turning back to the mare behind the stall, Rarity placed thirteen bits on the table and took the neatly folded fabric in her hands.

"We'll leave immediately once I've gathered the necessary material for my next design. Alright?"

Fluttershy eagerly agreed to Rarity's terms and waited patiently for the designer to resume her shopping throughout the district. Rarity pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply. While adorable, Fluttershy's bashfulness was a topic that would have to be approached forcefully at some point. Today would not be the day, however. Rarity began walking towards the next vendor on her list, and a late Fluttershy raced to close the small gap in between them.

The duo had no sooner crossed the street halfway, however, before a rough figure covered in a dark cloak stumbled into Rarity. The fashionista designer hardly had enough time to react, but was fortunate enough to regain stability before she could drop her freshly purchased drapery, sure to have lost value had it been ruined by the grime of the streets.

Fluttershy panicked. "R-Rarity?!"

Rarity had become too upset with the careless consumer to register Fluttershy's worry. "Hey, watch where you're going!" To Rarity's annoyance, the colt continued his sprint through the plaza. Rarity grunted with irritation and blindly reached for her neck. When her fingers touched her bare coat, her eyes immediately darted wide and her hand searched her neckline with rising mortification. Fluttershy approached her friend worriedly.

"Rarity?

"T-That thief!" Fluttershy's brows creased in confusion. Rarity stuck a finger out at the fleeing assailant and shouted, "That vandal stole my necklace!"

She'd caught the attention of several customers, but only one was quick enough to react. From within a group of amassed patrons, a lone character stepped to the side and thrust a clawed hand in the direction of the bolting thief, engulfing him in a magical aura of lavender and stopped him dead in his tracks.

Rarity's ears sank as she sighed in relief. Fluttershy copied her friend's actions almost simultaneously.

Her necklace in his claws, the hero of the hour turned in Rarity's direction and had taken three steps before jerking his head back in what looked like surprise. Both mares blinked at a loss of the hero's action and after a brief moment to gather what bearings he may have lost, he reapproached them, though with a lost sense of calm.

"Y-Your necklace, milady." He presented the sapphire to Rarity. She would have taken the finely crafted piece of jewelry in her hands, but had lost herself, being far more attentive of the character in his own dark cloak before her.

"Thank you, my hero." Rarity offered her champion a moment to look into her own eyes, her sapphire iris' lidded enticingly. The creature was growing increasingly uncomfortable with her display, but for every reason Rarity was providing for him.

"Think n-nothing of it, ma'am." He cleared his throat.

Fluttershy caught something within his voice, a familiar essence behind it, despite how deepend he'd made his voice. An interesting thing as Fluttershy was certain she would not have had the feeling were it a stranger. How eyes had narrowed as a response.

Rarity battered her eyelashes as she turned from him with faux bashfulness. "I-I'm afraid my hands are occupied at the moment. Could you..." She turned around and eyed him from the side, pulling her beautifully fashioned violet mane to the side. "C-Could you fasten it for me?"

"..." The grasp he held onto the necklace chain tightened with a subtle shake. He'd swallowed hard. "Y-Ye-...Sure."

Rarity raised and angled her head as he'd approached and carefully positioned his claws over her shoulders and hovered them around her neck, placing the necklace around her neckline carefully and unsteadily bringing both ends of the golden chain to a clipping hold behind her throat. It would have progressed far more smoothly had Rarity not let out a gasp when he'd accidentally made contact with her.

The snow coated mare sighed dreamily as he'd finished and turned around to find him staring at his quaking claws. Rarity's lips curved. Her voice snapped his attention back to her.

"Thank you, my hero." She repeated for the second time.

His hands concealed themselves beneath the cloak as he gave a quick nod. They'd ended up staring into each others eyes for a number of seconds, all the while Fluttershy couldn't stop perking her head at him, trying to take in everything about him to find a match in her memory. There were very few that matched his physique.

Somewhat immediately, he'd cast his emerald eyes aside. "I-I should go."

Rarity was the one to be surprised this time. "G-Go? But surely you could stay, perhaps join us for a meal?"

He'd raised a claw in protest. "I-I have things I must do, milady." He'd turned around immediately after and was set to walk away. Rarity called out to him, stopping him short of a meter.

"Could you show me what my hero looks like?"

He'd taken her request into consideration, biting his lip beneath the veil. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Unable to reveal his identity. Rarity's mind boggled with the possibility to having found a true hero. "Might I have a name, at the least.

Another wait, but this time it had bore fruit. "E-Ekips..."

"...Ekips?"

He walked away hurriedly. "S-Sorry, I must be on my way." Rarity had taken a step forward to approach him, but he'd known she'd try and speak to him. He burst into a sprint and had cleared a vast distance between them, well down the street before most could register his speed, and vanished as he turned a corner.

Fluttershy was at a loss of words for his rapid departure and turned to Rarity to confirm what she'd just witnessed. She was surprised to find her friend dreamily starring off into the distance however.

"Rarity?"

She sighed wondrously. "Oh, Ekips. Such an exotic name..."

"...Rarity? Are you alright?"

Just around the corner where the hero had vanished, Ekips peered over the edge of the building, breathing deeply and watching as Fluttershy grasped her friend by the shoulders and meekly glanced around before urging her friend to the nearest table for a seat. Ekips raised his face to the sky and let out a heavy sigh of relief. That could have ended differently, very much so, and if it weren't for the plans he had for the day, he would have revealed his true identity then and there. But no, not yet.

Reaching a claw beneath his cloak, Ekips pulled out an item he had recently purchased, the object no larger than a book. It had been wrapped beneath two thin layers of decorative sheets and was tied neatly with a long piece of string, his own knot holding it in place. A present.

He closed his eyes and let out a breath. He had everything he needed now.

Without further delay, Ekips moved himself from the wall and walked to the carriage just up the street, an indebted colt and friend waiting for him specifically.

It was time, and though the idea made his heart race, he'd been away from home for far too long. Tucking the gift back, he walked to the carriage with determination.

//

The Golden Oak library was home to a wide variety of books, ranging from history and basic how-to's, to science-fiction and children's tales. One could walk within its aged, wooden walls and leave the structure enlightened, carrying a broader understanding of the world and subjects within, were they to use it appropriately. It was because of the structure's importance to the community that keeping it properly maintained was a standard practice all supervisors of the structure had to uphold. In Twilight Sparkle's case, however, it was a duty that an assistant would need to uphold, and that role had remained vacant for a number of years.

Twilight found herself sneezing as dust had once again entered her sinuses. As she wrapped a stationary feather duster in her magic, she noted to herself she'd need an assistant if she allowed the library to spiral into the state of disrepair it had spiraled into ever again.

With the duster under her control, Twilight set about cleaning the library shelf-by-shelf and held a spare dust cloth in her hands. Beginning with the A-section and set on performing the maintenance in an alphabetical fashion, Twilight led the duster in between the gap between the books and the walls of the shelf before performing a stroking motion with the duster. The amount of dust that had accumulated on the duster alone was enough to warrant a look of revulsion on the lavender pony's face. Twilight steeled herself immediately after, but couldn't stop the frown on her face from forming. It Celestia saw how badly in-shape the library had been...

With her mentor's scolding in mind, Twilight placed the dust cloth within the recently dusted gap in the shelf and found it abhorrent that there was still dust in the crevice. The student grit her teeth in annoyance and set about cleaning the rest of the lone shelf, but thoughts of having an assistant to do the cleaning for her soon came to mind and once she'd realized what it was she was thinking, her hands slowed to a stop and her frustration had cooled to a silent, disconsolate calm.

An assistant. Someone who would help her take care of the library and any other task she would have...

Like Spike.

Twilight's gaze dropped from the shelves and her hands let go of the cloth in her hands, coming to a rest with her other on her lap. An assistant like Spike. The thought echoed in her mind nonstop.

Spike. The docile dragon was the greatest subordinate anypony could ask for, assisting in times where she'd needed his help and putting up with her wild antics weeks on end without so much as a complaint. It brought a smile to Twilight as she recalled how panicked he'd been when he'd discovered her sick in bed and practically never left her side. He'd even warmed her soup with his breath, though that took a while to muster the courage for, convinced that his fire, no matter the target, would teleport the object to Celestia's side. The mental image of Celestia being teleported a warm bowl of soup in mid-air, while cruel, served to make Twilight chuckle.

But it wasn't always like that. There were also the tough times, like with the changelings, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra and the Crystal Empire, even Discord. Twilight would have had moments of weakness before, during or after she'd embarked on quests in the name of the princess, or otherwise, and each time would oftentimes end with her asking herself how things could have gone differently. While each result ended spectacularly for everyone, dark thoughts would plague her mind with possibilities and what-ifs. Spike had almost always been by her to console her fears and reassure her that no one could have done as she had, or could have imagined a better result. He'd been there every time and with it, their friendship had grown closer than Twilight could have fathomed.

Twilight frowned. It didn't seem to matter how close their bond was, however.

One night Spike had acted differently, and it was because of its obviousness that Twilight could never forgive herself for never foreseeing his departure. He'd prepared her breakfast expertly in ways that he usually would on her birthday or as a congratulations for a journey or task well done. He treated her much like he would have treated Rarity, without so much as a complaint and never so much as straying from her line of vision unless she asked him to. Then, in the night, once all his chores had been completed and her final request had been given, he'd softly uttered a few words.

"Goodnight, Twi. I'll... see you later."

The unicorns hands balled as her vision grew blurry. Why did he leave? What could it have been that ignited his desire to leave her that night? The question plagued her mind nearly every day. She'd blamed herself, she'd blamed Rarity, she'd blamed her seeing him as nothing more than an assistant at times. She'd blamed nearly everything that had come into her mind, but she knew that none of those things were the reasons. She'd never know what it was. Not until he came back and told her himself.

Moist droplets escaped the edges of her eyes. Twilight's eyes widened as she realized she was crying. She blinked the tears away several times before wiping them away with her hands, though unable to stop herself from sniffling.

No. No tears, not anymore. Twilight resolved to save them for something besides sorrow. She would not cry because he'd left her. Instead, she'd cry for the exact opposite. She'd cry when he came back. Back to their little dysfunctional family in Ponyville, back to the wild antics they face on a daily basis with Pinkie and the others. She'd cry when he came back to her.

Twilight finished rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand before forcing out a smile. Coming back, that was an enticing thought. It was only the second month after his departure that Twilight had excitedly, if in desperation, made a schedule of things to do once Spike had returned. She'd included a list of things she knew her assistant enjoyed doing, even basking in the sun in one of Ponyville's meadows. She'd assured herself that in the case that he returned, everything on the schedule would be put into action immediately after and then afterwards, everything would return to normal.

Twilight would have her assistant back, but with far much more consideration. They would work together on tasks she'd devise and at night they would read stories by the hearths fire, like they used to. Maybe he'd have a few stories of his own, even, and she was almost certain they would include acts of gallantry and honor. Spike always appreciated those values above all else.

With an air of growing comfort, Twilight's lips curved into a smile and she took hold of the dusting cloth with renewed vigor. The feather duster had come back to life and resumed dusting the shelves as it had done before. Life would return to normal, no, better than normal. All she'd have to do is wait.

Twilight curved the cloth around every crevice between the books themselves, minding the shelves as well. Though she was in dire need of an assistant, Twilight was keen on holding out. She still had an assistant, in a sense. He just had yet to come back.

Before the unicorn could shift her attention to the next row of books, a knock came from the door. The unicorn placed the cloth on top of the bookshelf and sorted her dress neatly before walking to the door.

"Coming." She announced.

Twilight opened the door and prepared to welcome her guest warmly, but her greeting hardly passed the first word as she found herself face to face with somepony that wasn't there. Twilight stood in bewilderment before peering around the edges of her door, searching for a figure that she couldn't find.

"Hel-augh!" Twilight was cut-off as an unseen force pushed her from the door to the outside.

Twilight stumbled, but managed to regain her balance and turned around in time to hear and see the door to her home and library shut closed. Twilight stared at the door blankly before finally registering what had happened. Her home had been invaded and she, unfortunately, was not within. Her horn lit up in a magical lilac-colored aura as she grew upset.

"H-Hey!" Twilight quickly tried to pry open the door. It was locked, not to her surprise. Stepping back, she swiped a hand over the door and soon its wooden frame was covered in her magic's essence. It began to shake violently. "You'd better not be taking anything!"

Among the many things Twilight had expected to come upon in Ponyville, thievery was not among them. The door shook more intensely as Twilight grew alarmed, hearing a small series of thuds come from the other side.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

One last thud and Twilight had decided that enough was enough. Without so much as taking into account what could have been happening, she stuck her hand out towards the door and its large frame shot off its bolts with great force, striking the far wall opposite of it and shaking the entire library. Unfortunately, the force of the vibrations had also caused what dust had collected, as well as any paper she had stacked, flying out and masking the library's confines, but Twilight deemed it a worry to tend to afterwards. Without hesitation, Twilight ran inside.

Covering her nose, Twilight quickly scanned the building for the intruder of her home. Luckily, she did not have to search for long, as her eyes came to a rest on a tall, winged creature just above the stairs. With her free hand wrapped in a magical aura, Twilight shot a pulse of magical energy in hopes of stunning the intruder. The intruder, however, proved faster and had not only dodged her stunning bolt of magic, but had flown and clung onto a wall within the library, out of her natural reach. Twilight clenched her teeth and prepared another spell. He'd coughed a few words, but they were too garbled to make out. Nevermind them, Twilight would get her answers eventually.

Lashing out once more, a vibrant streak of purple magic traveled across the library's open floor and the creature managed to dodge it yet again, much to Twilight's aggravation. Growing furious, Twilight sent several streaks of magic in the intruders direction, but he'd managed to dodge them every time. Though she did not want to use them, Twilight felt she'd need to use a different form of magic, one what would hurt him instead of stun him. If he wanted to escape, he would have done so earlier. He was staying for some reason and Twilight wanted to be certain it was one that she would live through.

The magical coloration of Twilight's powers slowly intensified and she brought her hand to a stop beside her.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice."

Quickly, the prodigious unicorn began enticing the proper transition between stunning and damaging magic, and with an ignition of a deeper magical coloration, Twilight's spell was ready. She'd no sooner readied her hand to release the damaging bolt of magical energy, however, than the creature had flown across the room and took a firm grip of her wrist, both enabling her magic from firing and sending a powerful burst of air striking Twilight and the area around them. It was with the powerful air-clearing burst of wind, however, that Twilight cracked an eye open to come face to face with the intruder of her home and library. Seeing a familiar, calm scaly face however, her eyes widened considerably.

Spike let out a sigh of relief and slowly let go of Twilight's wrist, bringing his own claws to his hips and looking at her speechless form disapprovingly.

"You shouldn't treat your friends like that, Twi."

He watched her for a second, watched as Twilight registered who it was that was standing before her, and he watched with an aching heart as her eyes began to moisten and unmistakable droplets of tears traveled down her cheeks. Despite the emotions stirring within himself, he put on a brave face, smiling warmly at Twilight as she began openly register everything.

"S...S-Spike..."

She'd stretched out a hand for him and once it was close enough, Spike laced his fingers around hers, squeezing lightly.

"I'm home,"

He already knew what she'd want to do after that. Closing the gap between them, Spike gently wrapped Twilight in his arms, embracing her. The unicorn soon broke down in his arms, hooking her own arms around him and sobbing openly onto his shoulder. Spike closed his eyes and hooked his head by hers, stroking her back gently with a claw.

"I missed you too, Twi..."

--

Songs of inspiration: Heart's Will, Far From Home, Praan, Say Goodnight